It won’t be if Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines land transfer Shea Patterson from Mississippi, and he is eligible in 2018.

Michigan would immediately become a national championship contender.

In the world of cliches, Patterson is exactly what the doctor ordered.

And it’s not because he has a partial season under his belt at Mississippi, which would vault him ahead of incumbent QBs Brandon Peters and Dylan McCaffrey. It’s because he is an extraordinary talent, possessing both superior arm strength and mobility.

There isn’t a more gifted QB in the nation. Patterson is the ideal raw piece of clay for Harbaugh to mold.

Patterson had respectable statistics his freshman year at Ole Miss before suffering a season-ending knee injury — 63.8 completion percentage, 17 touchdown passes vs. nine interceptions. He threw for well over 300 yards against Cal, Auburn and Vandy. He had over 400 yards passing against two non-Power 5 teams.

Patterson had rough games vs. Alabama and LSU, but he was quarterbacking a devastated football program, rocked by scandal in the aftermath of coach Hugh Freeze’s resignation.

Skill-wise, he is a combination of Johnny Manziel and Baker Mayfield. It’s not an exaggeration.

There are questions. Can he play within a system? Does he have the great competitive character of a top QB?

Yet, it’s without question Patterson is capable of making plays most other QBs simply can’t.

Peters is a youngster, who has barely played at Michigan. He appeared to be making progress by completing a deep pass and making a play with his legs before being injured at Wisconsin. But there he doesn’t possess the gifts of Patterson.

McCaffrey was a 5-star recruit for awhile. He has famous football bloodlines - his brother, NFL running back Christian, and his father, Ed, a Pro Bowl receiver. His grandfather, Dave Sime, was the silver medalist in the 100-meter dash, and just by a hair, in the ’60 Olympics. He is tall, like his father, and a very good athlete (McCaffrey is an excellent basketball player), but it’s unlikely he presents the same explosive dynamic as Patterson.

There are a lot of ‘if’s” here. One is whether Patterson will be granted a waiver to become eligible immediately. Normally, a non-graduate transfer would have to sit a year, but there are mitigating circumstances because of the status of Mississippi’s program. How long will it be before the issue is resolved? Should the Wolverines take Patterson anyway? In 2019, it’s not like he wouldn’t have value.

There is also the message it would send to young QB recruits like incoming freshmen Joe Milton and Kevin Doyle that Michigan is always looking for a transfer.

But if somehow, Shea Patterson is Michigan’s starting QB when they open the 2018 season at Notre Dame, know this, the Wolverines wouldn’t be fake hype this time.